This fall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art will present the highly anticipated exhibition “Siena: The Rise of Painting 1300–1350,” showcasing how this Italian city played a pivotal role in a continent-wide artistic revival. The exhibition will run at the Met, located at 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, until January 26, 2025, before moving to the National Gallery in London on March 8, 2025.

The exhibition will feature 100 paintings, sculptures, and artifacts from the often-overlooked early Renaissance movement that flourished in Siena during the 14th century. This marks the first major U.S. museum survey of the Sienese Trecento (Italian for 1300s), made possible through a collaboration with London’s National Gallery. The partnership has allowed for the reunion of significant artworks that had been scattered worldwide due to the era's limited recognition.

According to Max Hollein, the Met's director and CEO, “Siena was an epicenter of artistic innovation and ambition in the 14th and 15th centuries. This monumental exhibition will bring together the most important group of early Sienese paintings ever assembled outside of Siena—offering a once-in-a-lifetime chance to explore the influence of this extraordinary artistic center.”

While artists from Florence, such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, often dominate discussions about the Renaissance, “The Rise of Painting” highlights the foundational work of Sienese masters like Duccio di Buoninsegna, his student Simone Martini, and the Lorenzetti brothers, Ambrogio and Pietro. 

Artists from Siena’s golden age embraced the republic's emerging humanistic values, infusing their works with relatable expressions that departed from the more stoic representations of earlier periods. Stephan Wolohojian, curator of European paintings at the Met, noted, “The distinctive artistic language of Duccio, the Lorenzetti brothers, Simone Martini, and their contemporaries completely recast the course of European painting.”

Wolohojian collaborated with Laura Llewellyn, the National Gallery’s curator of early Italian paintings, to create a cohesive exhibition that includes paintings, metalworks, and textiles from their institutions, alongside numerous loans from both American and international collections. This effort bridges monumental altarpieces with smaller objects intended for private devotion.

One of the exhibition's highlights is Duccio’s "Madonna and Child" (ca. 1290–1300), which the Met acquired for $45 million in 2004, making it the institution's largest purchase at that time. This small portrait marked a significant transition in the portrayal of the Virgin Mary, transforming her image from a distant saint to an emotive mother figure.

The most remarkable achievement of this collaboration is the reunification of all eight existing rear panels (predella) from Duccio’s "Maestà" (1308-11). This groundbreaking 16-foot-tall altarpiece, created for the Siena Cathedral, was the first two-sided altarpiece in Western art, moving away from Byzantine styles to a more narrative approach depicting scenes from Christ’s life. The artwork was so revered that it was paraded around Siena after its completion. However, due to the relative obscurity of Siena’s Trecento artists, Maestà has been fragmented and damaged since 1771.

Additionally, the exhibition will reunite all six pieces of the Orsini Polyptych, another devotional work by Duccio’s protégé, Simone Martini, who played a key role in spreading the Sienese style throughout Europe. The curators have sourced components like "Christ Carrying the Cross" (ca. 1335) from cities including Paris, Antwerp, and Berlin.

The exhibition also features "The Annunciation" (1344) by Ambrogio Lorenzetti, a painter known for his emotional depth. Alongside these masterpieces, everyday objects will highlight the interconnectedness of Siena’s artists and craftspeople.

Sadly, none of the artists featured in this exhibition survived the Bubonic plague that decimated Siena’s population starting in 1350. Nonetheless, their legacy continues to resonate.

Sayart / Sharon Jung guhuijeong784@gmail.com